Tidbits of Joy #34 - Heroism

Dear AdNet Employees, Clients and Friends;

I found myself pensive reflecting on the 20th anniversary of 9/11 which is why it’s taken me a while to write this Tidbits. There was a National Geographic special recently presenting 6 episodes from the perspective of survivors which was very moving. When the TV screen displayed statistics that there were only 18 who survived the collapse of the Twin Towers, my heart once more sank. There were 2,996 souls lost that day and oh so many more people impacted by one devastating event. Each episode left me humbled and deeply moved by seeing new footage and listening to the survivors’ journeys. What would I have done if I were there……would I have run towards, run away from, or given up? I’ll never know yet I have been talking about these questions with my wife and as I write these words, my eyes tear up again. There were so many acts of heroism that day with our humanity helping one another get to safety. People were in it together with no judgement or care of what one did for a living, one’s social views, race, religion, and the list goes on and on. There was one goal……..to save whoever was on the path. People who did not know each other held onto onr other, provided comfort and forged bonds which lasted a lifetime.

The courage and unconditional giving that day is a lesson for us all. Heroism can be as simple as a random act of kindness that find their ways to us daily………how we speak to each other, what we do for another as well as taking action that move us toward peace and unity.

Thank you to everyone who has and plans on receiving the COVID vaccination. We are saving other people lives, including our own, and that is a simple act of heroism. I ask you, please get vaccinated. In the US alone, approximately 674,000 people have died from COVID. And we can change this, together. Out of my entire family and friends across the country, there is no one who has had adverse reactions from receiving the vaccination. No one. There are people on this email who have chosen not to vaccinate, and I ask you, with every part of my heart, please reconsider this choice. If your job is secure, you/we are fortunate yet there are so many people out there who continue to have their livelihoods impacted, families separated, aging parents have limited ways to be with loved ones and I could go on with the limitations we face daily. Let’s be united and make this difference together. We can do this with and for each other.

With gratitude,

Betsy